Bhopal, Jul 13 (IANS): At least 200 people, including children and women were rescued and shifted to safer places in Madhya Pradesh's flood-hit Harda district.

Heavy rain since Tuesday caused flooding in the district and more than 70 houses got submerged.

The Highway connecting Bhopal-Betul has been closed due to overflowing Mancha river.

Several teams have been deployed to rescue people caught in floods and take them to safe places, the chief minister's office said on Wednesday.

The regional office of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has already warned that heavy rain would occur in Harda district. Observing the situation, the district administration has ordered schools to be shut for the day.

As per the IMD's report, in the last 24 hours, Betul district has received 140 mm rain, Pachmarhi 111 mm, Khandwa 68 mm, Seoni 58 mm, etc. The department has issued yellow alerts in districts such as -- Raisen, Bhopal, Neemuch, Narsingpur, Balaghat and Mandla.

Similarly, moderate to heavy rain has been predicted for Wednesday afternoon in districts such as -- Sehore, Indore, Dhar, Shajapur, Ratlam, Alirajpur, Jhabua, Mandsaur and Ujjain.

The IMD has issued red alert in districts for districts like Harda, Betul, Chhindwara, Seoni, Narmadapuram, Dewas, Khargone, Badwani and some more.

As per the reports, at least 47 people in Madhya Pradesh have been killed due to lightning strikes in a span of just a week taking the toll to 111 in the last one-and-a-half months. State capital Bhopal has alone reported around 7,000 lightning strikes, according to scientists at Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhopal in two days on July 11 and 12.